Continuing the discussion from Can of worms… Why do we have to pay for usage?:
This is a huge topic that should be a separate discussion. Why are we planning for another expansion? What are the benefits? How can we manage the explosive growth we’ve already seen?
Thanks.
Our explosive growth has leveled out and relatively stable with maybe a slight increase. But the monthly variance I’ve seen would not truly indicate a trend one way or the other for the past 4 - 6 months. Plus there are several ways to count the numbers.
We’re a little over half way through our lease at the current property. Since moving the membership has gone from roughly 300 members to over 1,000 members. It’s unlikely that the current property will be sufficient for another three years by the time we’re at the end of our lease due to the growth we’ve had.
The obvious, more space for classrooms and more space for committees. New streams of revenue could be possible like renting out space to members like people used to do at Mike’s Hobby Shop (small offices, storage cages, etc.).
There have been some growing pains but if you look at where the organization was a few years ago it’s clear we’re handling it. As new challenges arise I’m sure we’ll step up to meet them as a whole. This is a good problem to have.
Assuming that our membership remains at current levels:
Having been in real estate before I have a couple of suggestions. First is that we make sure that we understand the cost of moving, since moving our gear cannot be cheap. Second we should see if our current landlord has a way to accommodate us either at the same property or nearby (if we like our landlord). If we keep the same landlord, generally they will let us move to a larger space without waiting for the lease to run its course. We’d have to sign a new one on the new space, but they’d most likely be willing to waive the rest of the current one. This is pretty common.
While I am extremely against splitting the space (we all benefit by being exposed to people skilled in arts we do not know), it may be possible to find a temporary “annex” space with our landlord while we work out what to do next. We’d make sure the lease on the additional space co-terminus with the current one, and make sure that there is a clause cancelling both leases if we sign a new one for a single larger space at the property. It also behooves us to include a right of first refusal clause on leasing either of the spaces adjacent to the current one. Putting a door through a wall is much cheaper than moving to a new building.
Note that while I know how the game is played I’m not sure that I’m the right guy to negotiate a lease.
Moving should be very negligible compared to the cost of moving in(electrical, etc). There is nothing we can’t move ourselves. I still have quite a bit of rigging and machine moving gear from when i use to move 40ton machinery. Lots of members w/trucks and trailers. The new space will probably also merit a forklift anyways about like the one we have just not a man-up.
At the denver makerspace we had a fenced in yard, it was a huge asset for automotive and larger projects.
Our biggest expense since moving into our current location besides utilities has been electrical work. I imagine that we have spent $40k+ on running circuits around. Most of this is do to our way of organic planning.
We should have a much better handle on our electrical needs for any future build out. I would hope that our next floorplan would try to anticipate what each committee needs as far as infrastructure services.
A future roadmap plan is probably a wise idea before even looking for future spaces. Otherwise how do we know it is meeting our needs?
I think we missed our marker there - I gather that our immediate neighbors have renewed their leases and the likely “annex” at the same property was leased out sometime in 2015.
Which is absolutely ridiculous. It does not take a rocket scientist to run one or two hots, a neutral, ground, and bond where necessary.(*)
I’ve investigated becoming a licensed electrician, and the labor unions have made sure the average Joe can’t get into it without years of apprenticeship.
(*) n.b. I do not consider myself a rocket scientist, nor do I have any disrespect for electricians. However, I do have a problem with a system which is mired down in bureaucracy specifically aimed at limiting the supply of labor and then using that to jack up rates.
Amen brother, can we have a chorus of hallelujah!
I haven’t read through this thread but I want to offer any help I can if we are to expand and need to build out. I work for a Commercial General Contractor and while my company wouldn’t do a tenant finish out (We don’t touch anything under $1,000,000 usually) I can definitely pull a lot of strings and get our cost to a minimum. I am the senior estimator and that’s what I do anyways.